May 23, 2012 at 09:59 PM · The area doesn't matter much - my parents are willing to commute to anywhere in those counties if the teacher is good.

I'm not very advanced... I finished all the Suzuki books up to the 5th book, Handel sonatas, and am currently working on Praeludium and Allegro. I also do Kreutzer and Galamian/Flesch scales. I practice 2-3 hours a day minimum.

Long-term playing goals: I'm just working as hard as I can right now... If I get good enough to major in music I'd like to become an orchestral player and teach a few students. Probably not gonna happen but I can dream... LOL

I have discussed this with my current teacher, but I'd like to try out other teachers in the area. My current teacher... She's not very responsible (she was recently pregnant and missed three lessons, none of which she made up even after speaking to her about them) and never replies to emails. Also, she doesn't give me too much to do even though I ask for more. For example, she's only asked me to do one etude and my piece this week. I've asked her several times to give me scales, etc. but she never does and I end up doing them on my own. She also fixes things and will stop halfway. I was fixing my bow grip one week and the next week she completely forgot about it and went to fix something else instead. Yeah... so I'm trying to try other teachers and see if I can find one that fits me.

May 23, 2012 at 10:25 PM · When I was dissatisfied with my teacher and wanted to find another one, I went to a good violin and string shop, in my case Hammond Ashley Violins in San Diego. They gave me a list of teachers; there were quite a few to choose from and all different levels. If you tell someone that works there what you are looking for, I bet they can give you a good recommendation, who's available and how much they charge. I prefer to go to a studio, but many teachers will come to your home.